President Muhammadu Buhari has said the recent gubernatorial elections in Anambra, Ekiti, and Osun states have confirmed his administration’s irreversible commitment to credible and violence-free polls in the country.

Buhari said this when he received a delegation from Nasarawa State led by the state governor, Abdullahi Sule, in Abuja on Friday.

The President stated that the Electoral Act, signed by him earlier this year, was an attestation of the fulfillment of the administration’s determination and commitment to the tenets of the rule of law.

He, however, enjoined electorate to vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general election to ensure continuity in the polity, and stability in the country and West African region.

President Buhari said: “On the issue of credible, free, and fair elections in the country, I have always re-assured my listeners both at home and abroad, my personal desire and indeed the priority of this administration is to bequeath to our nation an irreversible political process that continues to be both democratic and acceptable to the people.

“My desire for our nation is that the 2023 elections should clearly mark the commencement of the institutional strength of our electoral body in conducting acceptable, credible, and violence-free elections.

“The forthcoming general elections will provide us with the opportunity to convince the electorate on the need for continuity to enable our party to consolidate on our achievements in the last 7 years.

“The Government and people of Nasarawa State, as usual, have a great role to play in returning our party to governance in the 2023 elections, in order to create a path for greater socio-economic growth and development.

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“This is not only important for Nigeria alone but also for the West African sub-region.”

The President added that Nasarawa remains very dear to his heart, describing the state as the symbol of hope and determination in collective efforts to entrench democracy in Nigeria.

He recounted that in 2011, the state stood out during the year’s general election, as the one state that compensated the political efforts in the then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), defying rigging and ensuring that their voices mattered.

“To demonstrate this admiration and appreciation to the people of Nasarawa State, I personally attended the inauguration of Governor Tanko Al-Makura on May 29, 2011. In 2015 and 2019, the state remained one of the strongholds of our great party, the APC.

“I am optimistic that the people of the state, the APC government, and this broad representation of your delegation will not disappoint me, as we sustain concerted efforts in pushing forward the frontiers of good governance in our country,” Buhari said.

President Buhari further used the occasion to stress the need for partnerships among the three tiers of government in order to deliver good governance, infrastructure, and critical services needed by the people.

He pledged commitment to the joint efforts by the State and the Federal Governments to facilitate easy transportation by road, railways, and airports as well as power, saying no nation can develop without these components of infrastructure.

“The proximity of Nasarawa State to the FCT naturally makes the State a partner in infrastructural development. We, therefore, need more collaboration to enhance this proximity with other contiguous States to achieve more integrated development,” he added.

The President also expressed appreciation to the government and people of the state for their continuing support of his administration.

In his remarks, Governor Sule told the President that the delegation comprising political office holders, royal fathers, and community leaders was in the Presidential Villa to show appreciation for the numerous projects executed by his administration which Nasarawa State “is among the great beneficiaries”.

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The governor further thanked Buhari for approving the Federal Government’s takeover of the Lafia airport, refunds for the completion of the Lafia-Keffi road, and ongoing construction of the Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi dual carriage road.

He equally lauded the President for appointing prominent sons and daughters of the state into different positions in the Federal Government.

Sule also congratulated President Buhari for providing leadership and creating the enabling environment that facilitated the conduct of free, fair, and credible primary elections.

According to the governor, this has resulted in the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the presidential candidate of APC, as well as the recent Osun elections that produced the PDP candidate as governor-elect.

The Star